Crimson and Jade
by ThiefQueen87
Summary: A lonely young man of ancient Egypt's nobility, Malik Ishtar, meets a mysterious young thief who will change his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Malik Ishtar sighed as he leaned against the railing of the verandah. It had been a difficult day, and the verandah was always the place Malik retreated to whenever he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He stood feeling the cool early evening breeze and looked out at the beautiful shades of pink and purple the sky was turning as the sun set.

A hawk flew in the clear dusk sky, and Malik's violet eyes scanned the horizon as he watched the hawk fly high above. For a moment, Malik imagined that he was the hawk, flying high over the waters of the blessed Nile, free to go wherever he wanted. Malik wished he could be free, free from the duties, the obligations, the expectations of his family and his kingdom. But the vicarious feeling of freedom and flight was as feelting as the hawk disappearing from view as it flew off into the distance.

Malik was once again left with his tumultuous thoughts. He felt like a prisoner, like a hawk in a cage. But the more he beat against the cage, the more hurt and imprisoned he became. No one understood Malik Ishtar. No one knew of his angst and feelings of lonliness. From the outside, Malik's life seemed blessed. He was indeed a "son of privilege". He was a member of Egypt's distinguished noble class, a member of the "blue-blooded" aristocracy, the high class of citizens that had insiders' access to the pharaoh's court.

Malik's father was a high official who had served on Pharaoh Akmankanon's council for over thirty years. He had retired two years earlier, with full honors and a lavish pension. He expected his two children to follow in his footsteps and establish long, distinguished careers at the pharoah's court. Malik's older sister, Isis, was twenty-three, six years older than Malik. She was a shining example of what a child of the nobility should be like. She had begun training to become a high priestess at the age of nine, a rather young age, since most who trained for such positions didn't begin the training until they reached adolescence at age twelve or thirteen.

Isis was a very gifted child, and that had been noticed by Pharaoh Akmankanon himself. She had the highest marks in her priesthood training, and at the age of nineteen, she had become the youngest person ever to enter such a high position of service in the Pharoah's guardianship. Mr. Ishtar beamed with pride whenever someone so much as mentioned Isis's name. But Mr. Ishtar was not very pleased with his younger child, his son, Malik.

Malik was a slacker in the eyes of his father, a careless youth who neglected his duties and obligations. At the age of twelve, Mr. Ishtar had enrolled Malik under the mentorship of High Priest Mahaado. Master Mahaado was one of the best users of magic Egypt had ever known. He mentored several children of the elites under a rigorous training program, designed to prepare them for high-level positions in the pharoah's court and earn them a coveted place in his majesty's guardianship and council.

Mr. Ishtar had long been a benefactor to the training programs, and when Malik entered the training, Mr. Ishtar spent even more of his fortune on the program and as gifts to the High Priest. Malik never seemed to please his father, and his father often made it a point that Malik repeatedly be reminded of how much money Malik's training was costing him. Not that Mr. Ishtar would be worried about something like money, because he was a very wealthy man and an aristocrat, but he was always looking for ways to make Malik feel worthless and guilty.

"You should be grateful that I spend my time and fortune on someone so dim-witted and lazy," he would tell Malik. "Whatever position you manage to obtain at court, it will be because I paid huge sums for it, and not because of your own skills or intelligence."

Malik knew that his father didn't pay for him because he had any real ambitions for him or had any pride in him. He paid because it would gravely dishonor his father's name if his only son didn't obtain a high position in the pharaoh's council. For the son of a highly-respected and long-time official at the palace to not live up to his father's name would be scandalous.

The Ishtars were a very powerful family, and there was a long line of prestige in holding high positions and being among the pharoah's inner circle. It would be entirely unacceptable and downright deplorable if an Ishtar son couldn't folllow in line with such responsiblity. The Ishtar family name would be tarnished, in the eyes of Mr. Ishtar and the rest of the ruling class. So despite Mr. Ishtar's resentment of his "wayward" son, he would spend all he could to ensure the Ishtar name remained untarnished and reknowned.

Malik remembered the day he had begun the training, and how much his heart wasn't into any of his studies. He felt disinterested in any of the things Master Mahaado had to teach him, and he was always being scolded by his teacher and mentor. After the first year, Malik's unsatisfactory marks and performance in his studies, caused Master Mahaado to hold a meeting with Mr. Ishtar.

The high priest had warned Mr. Ishtar that his son would be expelled from the program if he didn't improve. "Mr. Ishtar, you know how much I deeply respect and admire you, and how indebted to you I am, but I cannot keep Malik in such a rigorous course of study with the marks he obtains," Master Mahaado had told Malik's father.

Malik bitterly remembered how that evening, his father had come home enraged. He found Malik sitting at the table, eating dinner with his sister, Isis, and a few of her friends from her priesthood training, as the Ishtar family's long-time faithful servant Rishid was offering the guests drinks and sweets.

Mr. Ishtar exploded into a fit of rage, breaking plates and glasses on the table and causing quite a scene. He yelled at Isis's friends to go home and then he yelled at the servants to leave the room immediately. After everyone quickly scrambled out of the dining hall, Malik's father struck him hard across the face.

He then grabbed Malik by his cloak's collar and told him that if he didn't get his act together there would be hell to pay. "I will not let a failure like you tarnish my name!", he yelled, as his eyes gleamed with vicious anger. Isis began pleading with her father to stop, but this only enraged Mr. Ishtar further.

"Stay out of this! This does not concern you!", he shouted. Quietly, Isis left the room though it pained her a great deal to see her father treat her younger brother so maliciously. Mr. Ishtar then proceeded to strike Malik again and again, until Malik passed out at his feet. "Stand up! Don't think I'm playing with you, boy!" Mr. Ishtar continued to yell abrasively at his son.

He threw the unconcious Malik against a wall. Malik's eyes fluttered open, he tried to sit up, flinching from the pain. "Sorry, father," he pleaded. "Father, please, stop hitting me, I'm so sorry, I will be a better student, I promise."

Mr. Ishtar huffed, "You're on a very short leash, now, boy," he hissed. You mess up one more time, and I will disown you. You will be banished from the kingdom forever, and I don't care where the hell you go. I won't care if I never see you again, in fact, I won't care if you are eaten by wild dogs. Now go up to your room and don't let me see your pathetic face again tonight."

Hurting physically and emotionally, Malik had quietly gone up to his room. Malik's room was on the second floor of the Ishtar mansion, up a flight of winding stairs with golden railing. Malik's room was at the end of the long hall. There were three other rooms on the second floor, one was Isis's room and the other two were lavish guest bedrooms. Mr Ishtar had the master bedroom on the first floor, right next to the downstairs guest bedroom, and on the other side of the mansion were the smaller rooms where the servants slept.

Malik's room reflected the wealth and opulence of his place as one of Egypt's nobles. He had a large bed draped with deep purple spreads and pillows, and he had chests full of clothing and gold jewelry. But Malik's privileged status belied how he really felt inside: torn, broken, and depressed. All the material things he owned could never come close to quelling the turmoil and sadness in Malik's young heart.

From an outsider's view, Malik Ishtar lived a life of luxury and privilege, a life so few in Egypt had. He lived in a mansion, he was waited on by servants who called him "master", but Malik was drowning in sorrow. He felt so different from those around him, he felt surrounded by people, yet all alone.

He lived with the heavy burden of not being good enough for his father, he lived in the shadow of his seemingly perfect sister, he lived with the fact that there were duties he was expected to fulfill and the shame the Ishtar family name would suffer if Malik failed, as he believed he always seemed to do. He lived with a father who resented him and looked at him as an embarrassment rather than a beloved son, a father who threatened to disown him, a father Malik believed didn't care if Malik was killed by thieves or even eaten by dogs, as he'd said himself.

If only his mother was alive. But she had died many years ago, she had died bringing him into this world. If only he'd died instead of her, he thought to himself. Then everyone would be better off. If only his father would love him. If only he could follow in the footsteps of those glorious Ishtars that had come before him, if he could for once do something right, make others proud. These thoughts constantly clouded Malik's mind.

A tear rolled down Malik's tan cheek as he thought of his painful memories. The sound of Isis's gentle voice as she called to him from inside the house interrupted the young man's thoughts.

The sky was darker now, and the lights of oil lamps had begun to appear. Malik looked over the horizon once again...a bright star caught his eye, and he stared at it with his lovely lavender eyes for a moment.

He remembered something Isis had told him a long time ago, when Malik was only six or seven. Isis had told him that stars can make wishes come true, and the brighter the star, the more likely it would be for the wish to come true. Malik sighed, he was seventeen now, and he wasn't sure that he believed such things anymore, but quietly, he made a wish.

"I wish I wasn't so alone, he whispered quietly", "I wish I could fly away from here." Then as Malik turned, he whispered another quiet wish, "I wish for a chance to prove myself." The cool night breeze softly played with Malik's light blond hair as he wiped the tears from his eyes, he turned back for a second to look at the bright evening star again. He could swear he could see its light twinkling now, whereas before it had been steady. With a slight hope inside his heart, he went inside the house.


	2. Chapter 2

That night after the evening meal, Malik stayed up late talking with his sister Isis, like they used to do years ago. Ever since Isis had entered the pharaoh's guardianship, she had been too busy to speak with Malik regularly.

Her duties at the palace were her main priority, and there were always many things to be done at the pharoah's palace. Malik loved to hear about went on inside the pharaoh's official hall. That was where all the decrees were made, and the pharaoh addressed his guardianship and council every day. Malik imagined his sister there, sitting elegantly in one of the gold chairs, speaking eloquently when asked about matters of state and politics.

Despite Malik's resentment of his studies, he longed for an official position. Everyone respected Isis and admired her. Malik thought if he held such a prestigious position at the pharaoh's court, people would respect him too. It would be the highest honor if the pharaoh himself were to ask Malik for his advice! Isis had told him about how the pharaoh would always discuss the state of the kingdom with his council.

But even Isis wasn't in the inner council, as their father had been. Malik had grown up with the news that Mr. Ishtar brought back every day when he came home, about how Pharaoh Akmankanon had sent envoys to trade with far-off lands, about new architectural constructions around the kingdom, and about signing treaties with Egypt's neighboring nations.

Malik secretly loved politics, and he was not a "dim-witted" child as his father had dismissed him as at all. In fact, Malik could be brilliant if he chose to concentrate on his studies. But his studies bored him because he was too much of a dreamer.

He dreamed of those far-off lands that his father and Isis told him about, he dreamed of visiting those places, and meeting new people with different customs than those of Egypt, of seeing the legendary sea that was talked about so much for himself.

"How is Pharoah Akmankanon like in person?" Malik suddenly asked Isis.

"You've already met him, in you've seen him many times," she replied. "I don't think he's changed much since you last saw him, Malik" Isis said with a laugh.

"I know, but he only greeted me, as is the formality," Malik said. "I want to know what his personality is like, you know, like how he is as a person and as a head of state."

"Well," Isis slowly began, "His Majesty is a very kind and compassionate leader, as you already know. He values his counselors highly and always takes the time to listen and understand our advice and concerns. He is a fair and just ruler, which reminds me, Malik. Today he mentioned you at court."

Malik suddenly sat up in his chair. "Really?" he asked. "What did he say?"

"He said that he is looking forward to you beginning the part of your training that takes place at the palace in a few months."

"Pharaoh Akmankanon actually said that?" Malik replied, not able to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Yes, Malik, of course he said that. His majesty's family and ours have long been closely connected. An Ishtar son has always held the most coveted position in the pharaoh's royal council for centuries. One day, you will hold that position, just like our father did. Don't worry, my dear brother, you won't be in my shadow forever. Soon, you will make Father proud."

"But Father has always hated me," Malik said.

"I know that Father can be cruel at times, he is a very temperamental man, but remember that he just wants the best for his us."

"But my marks in my studies aren't good enough," Malik began.

"Don't worry about that either, Malik," Isis said gently. "Master Mahaado has already spoken with his majesty."

"What did he say?" Malik asked, slightly embarassed that the High Priest had taken the time to praise Malik to the pharaoh himself, and now feeling guilty about not paying closer attention to his studies.

"He told the Pharaoh that you have great potential. That it is not because you are stupid or a failure that you don't do well in your studies, that it is only because you do not apply yourself. Master Mahaado says he remembers he was a bit like you when he was a teenager. But it was only a phase that lasted several years, and of course we all know that Mahaado is now a High Priest and has earned much respect and admiration. I believe you have greatness inside you, Malik, you just have not tapped into it yet. You just don't realize your potential."

Malik suddenly jumped up and hugged his sister, slightly startling her, as he thanked her for her kind words and at the great news.

"Does Father know yet? Does he know about this good news from his majesty? Surely his highness must have told him himself since he sees him every day."

"Yes, Father knows," Isis replied. "He is proud of you and said that you've come a long way since when you entered the training. But he warns you to not get overly-excited because you still have a long way to go."

"Why didn't he call me to his chamber to tell me this news in person"? Malik suddenly wondered aloud.

"He told me to give you the news because he's busy," Isis lied guiltily. She knew her father was still not pleased with Malik, and that while he had been relieved that Mahaado and the Pharaoh had offered Malik this position, he wasn't happy with his son, whom he still regarded as too incompetent to belong to the great Ishtar family.

But Isis didn't want Malik's feelings hurt, she was often the mediator between the strained and turbulent relationship that Mr. Ishtar had with his son, and she hated to see both her father and Malik unhappy. She never wanted to disappoint either of them. But it was difficult, she had to admit, for father and son did not have such a loving bond.

Malik suddenly got angry. "I'm not stupid, Isis!" he said. "You seem to think that I'm still a little boy that you can lie to. I know why Father had you tell me the news instead of meeting with me himself. It's because he hates me, and can't stand to even see my face!"

"Malik, that's not true," Isis began, but Malik wasn't listening.

"I know the truth, Isis. I'm not a naive fool. Father has always resented me because of Mother's death. He's always felt that I was a curse on this family. Remember what he said all those years ago? He said that a child who's mother dies while giving birth to him is a curse, and that I brought bad luck to the Ishtar family. And since the Ishtar family has such close ties to the royal family of his majesty, I am also bad luck for the entire kingdom."

"Malik, that's not true! Stop saying those things! Many women die in childbirth, Malik. It has nothing to do with a curse, Father was just grieving over Mother's death when he said that. It's not really because he despises you."

"But you see the way he treats me!" Malik said. "Remember how he used to hit me and give me beatings?"

Isis was blinking back tears now, "Yes, Malik, I know. I should have done more to protect you from his abusive behavior. But he hasn't beaten you in a few years now, you see over time he has come to accept Mother's death, so he no longer blames you, Malik, trust me."

"He may not beat me anymore, but he still hates me. He still thinks I'm a failure, a loser, no matter what I do, it's never good enough for him!"

"Well, now is your chance, Malik. Now is your chance to make him see that he was wrong. To make him see that you are indeed an intelligent young man who will do the Ishtar family proud, and who will honor his kingdom."

"I will never pass this chance up," Malik said with resolve. "I will finally prove myself to Father."

"Yes, Malik, see that's what I've been wanting to hear, all along" Isis said cheerfully. "Now let's go get ready for bed. Tomorrow you have to be up early for your training, and it's already quite late."

Malik got up out of the chair in Isis's room and said, "Good night, Isis. I am glad to have such an kind and understanding sister as you."

"And I am glad to have a sweet little brother like you," Isis teased him.

"Hey, I'm not "little" anymore!" Malik said, pretending to be annoyed.

"I know, I know, Isis laughed. You're seventeen, you're a young man now. Malik I just want you to know that just because I am busy and don't have as much free time as I used to before, it doesn't mean that I am too busy to talk with you. I am never, ever too busy to talk to you. It doesn't matter what is going on, or how many things I have to do, anytime you want to talk, I am always here for you. Don't ever forget that."

"Thank you, Isis. I know you'll always be here for me. I just don't want to take any time away from your duties. I am glad we had this talk tonight. It's been a long time. But tomorrow is the beginning for me.

No more Malik Ishtar the loser, he said to himself. Tomorrow was the beginning of Malik Ishtar living up to his family's name. As he thought this to himself, a slight smile formed on his lips, maybe his wish had come true after all. He no longer felt so lonely after the talk with Isis, and his heart held more hope now than it had in years.

"Good night, dear sister." Malik said. Then he walked across the hall to his room, anxious and excited for tomorrow morning.


End file.
